Here, Ballamy’s sweet toned, pure soprano and keening tenor, rising above the extraordinary textures and rhythms provided by Strønen’s drums and electronica, are joined variously by the guitars and electronics of Christian Fennesz and Eivind Aarset, the vocals and slide guitar of Prakash Sontakke and the piercing trumpet of Nils Petter Molvær. The resulting album is simply ravishing: subtle, delicate, but always intense, even passionate, each track both instantly recognisable as a ‘Food’ product, but also crucially influenced by the musical sensibility of each individual guest.Chris Parker, London Jazz

Once you enter into the enchanted sound world of Matanë Malit (‘Beyond the Mountain’), vocalist Elina Duni’s ECM debut, it’s impossible to break free from its spell. It not only contains some of the most beautiful singing I’ve heard this year, but also introduces you to a treasure trove of Balkan folk songs.Peter Quinn, Jazzwise

British website Jazzcamera.org.uk on Equilibrium by the Benedikt Jahnel Trio

This is the debut disc by the German, Spanish and American trio of pianist Benedikt Jahnel, bassist Antonio Miguel and drummer Owen Howard, and it’s a delicate, flowing creation packed with harmonic and rhythmic interest. All the tracks are composed by Jahnel, who is also a member of the group Cyminology, and there is a seamless flow to improvisation throughout the album. [...] and there’s certainly considerable evidence of logical thinking as well as deep emotion on these tracks.John Watson, Jazzcamera.co.uk